Caravaneers

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It is clear, that what has already been established on water, is about to take form on dry land as well. The first, rudimentary in-land routes have been laid down, providing the caravans with a better chance to get from one point to another, but rules and regulations of this new type of business had come into the picture only recently in the form of the Caravaneers. These influential groups, or sometimes single people seek to bring order to the still chaotic circumstances of travelling throughout the wild lands of Progonos and hopefully in time build it up to something just as monumental as seafaring.

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At the moment, there are six known such Caravaneers that hold the lion's share within this field, but since they are widely scattered upon Progonos, they hardly ever come to a conflict with each other. Hopefully, they never will get too close for comfort, corporate warfare between such already powerful bodies would be the very least thing that this world needs at the moment, but who knows what the future holds? Until we are waiting for that moment however, the Caravaneers take their part in the further evolving of the civilized world.
The core concept of elevating the conditions of travel and traffic by establishing and infrastructure between settlements is notable enough on its own, but for the moment what the people notice easier is the jobs that they create by doing so. Either all, or just a part of the manual labour is done by slaves in most cases, but skilled artisans such as woodworkers, stonemasons, mechanics, architects and so on, who could create all needed parts of the road system, and keep it in shape are also needed.
For some fields of expertise, the Caravaneers may even hold career opportunities. Guides, drivers, cartographers, merchants, correspondents are much needed on a long-term basis to help the traffic of the wagon-trails run smoothly, but there is also a strong demand for the presence of warriors to guard the caravans. Being contracted to a Caravaneer office means good payment and a secured workplace on a long-term, and many possibilities to expand and learn new things. There may even be a time in the future when Caravaneer contractors will represent the very top of the quality.

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Almost each of the six represents a completely different approach towards their trade, which is a a good thing, as people will always know what they may mostly expect of them, should they decide to make a contract with either of the companies.

• The Guiders' Guild has started out from Aaru, originally to secure that the city-state is being well- supplied. Nowadays it is one of the most punctual of its kind, other than the skilled scouts in its contract, the Guild is supported by an impressively elaborate bureaucratic body.

• The Ministry of Customs is the great system of wheels that had once kept the economy of the Kheon empire flowing. After fall, the Ministry is still standing strong and tall, the only solid remnant of the imperial government and it seems to have its own idea concerning the restoration.

• The Pioneer Company has started out from Aenia to lay down an infrastructure between the young empire and its new vassal states. After joining the northern war effort, it was moulded into the military as an auxiliary division tasked only with building up Vernurica province to be a new, civilized area.

• The Bay Merchant Route was put together by three Bay area city-states, Malekhad, Twin-cities and Nikrit, in order to squeeze out some more from the deals they broker. After they bring resources in by sea, they transport it further on land. Despite it was one of the first, if not the first Caravaneer, it is far behind the rest in terms of development.

• The Wasteland Surveyors is a Caravaneer group charged by king Zand, the ruler of Shingar. Unlike the others the surveyors concentrate more on maintaining the security of the otherwise un-checked southern routes, so the trails -whomever they may belong to- may move freely.

• The Mestro Delegation is the freshest of the caravaneers that originate from the city-state of Mestro but have relocated to the likewise newly discovered region of the Riverhome to help the settlers in their conquest of these wild wetlands.

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